Shichinintai: The Meaning within
by Kira Elric
Summary: A look through the eyes of the Shichinintai when they first were killed. The first chapter is 3rd POV, then it goes 1st POV. Rated high for language and Violence in further chapters. Please R&R!
1. Taste of Betrayal

Shichinin-tai, the Meaning within

Jen "the stampede" Motou

Chapter 1: Taste of Betrayal

Animosity…… It seeped from him, from his each and every pore as his ears caught the sounds of hooves striking the ground, more men arriving. He glared upwards the daimyou—the very SAME daimyou he had just made a deal with--- now feeling the presence of the encroaching men. "I've got them cornered like rats, all of them. We'll be rid of them forever now." The blue orbs trailed to the side, seeing a second daimyou setting a top a Horse next to the man. "You Bastard! What gives! I thought _we were_ leading the charge!" a harsh growl admitted it's self from the youth's throat as his eyes narrowed into a fiery glare.

The second daimyou only responded however with a wave of his had, telling his troops of commence fire. As commanded the men readied their bows and shot. Millions of arrows fell from the sky in a blurry rain of wood and metal. "Big Brother!" A rather feminine clad man shouted to the younger boy. Before he could do a thing, all seven men found themselves dodging and bouncing out of the arrows path. The Continuous rain pleated down, and the boy quickly shouted. "WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" and began to run. The other six followed, until the boy's feet found themselves stopped as a loud moan of pain echoed through the air. The plaited youth stopped and swung around, and watched the giant of the group fall to the ground as his body was riddled with arrows. "Kyokotsu!" he screamed, at the sight.

"Big Brother! Watch out!" The feminine member of the group sprang to life, and shoved the youth to the ground using his own body to cause the force. He struck the ground front of his leader, his shoulder now carrying the arrow he received for performing the act. "Jakotsu!" The young leader's voice was overcome with fear, seeing the wound inflicted to his long time best friend. He felt a tug on his arm and found himself on his feet, as Suikotsu lifted him up. "We have to go, or they'll get us too!" The white clad youth fought against his grip. "No! Not without Jakotsu! I won't leave him."

"Go Damnit! Kyokotsu is already gone! Bankotsu God help him, if you die here because of me, I'll kill you in hell! NOW GO!" He froze as the words, but with another glare from the fallen man he soon found the strength to move his legs. He nodded, and turned. Being drug along by Suikotsu, he was plagued by thoughts of leaving them behind.

"URGH!" All thoughts quickly shifted to the arrow now deeply buried in his left shin. "BANKOTSU!" Jakotsu bellowed as the young Shichinin-tai Shuryou fell to the ground, and from Suikotsu's grasp. The boy however, drug himself to his knees, panting. He then closed his eyes and placed his hand upon the arrow. Biting his lip he pulled. "URGH!" Another yell of agony escaped his small frame. "Bankotsu Damnit!" Jakotsu and Suikotsu cursed him in unison, as the boy collapsed to the ground, panting while blood stained the white of his hakama.

Suddenly the arrows stopped, as the first daimyou had called for a cease fire.

"What do you think you're doing!" The second was demanding and answer and the first only grinned. "There is no need for such methods now that we have their leader. The other's will not retreat without him." He then waved his hand forward to his men with only one command. "Capture them."


	2. Captured

Shichinin-tai, the Meaning within

Jen "the stampede" Motou

Chapter 2: Captured

(Bankotsu's POV)

I was starting to be unable to tell the difference in the colors that surrounded me. Everything was just a blurry mess of color to me. I managed to turn over, and set up despite the pain. However it was to no avail as I soon could at least _hear_ the struggles of my comrades. Soldiers…or mindless pawns it was much better name for them, mixed themselves amongst us. I heard much fighting behind me, and knew they were attempting to take down Genkotsu, I inwardly laughed. However, Mukotsu fell much easier, as it has only required the removal of his supply of poison to render him harmless. Next I heard Renkotsu, and it was the sudden blast of heat that let me know he was still going.

I stumbled to my feet, and made my way to the blurry mess of colors I assumed was Jakotsu. "Bankotsu-sama." I heard a voice, as I kneeled down next to him. "Jakotsu, I can't see, put my hand on the arrow." I felt his hand on mine, and then my flesh on wood. "Brace yourself." I pulled and heard him scream as I threw the arrow down. He pulled himself to his feet, and grabbed my arm. "Come on." He said as we stumbled along. "Over here, come on!" We heard Suikotsu's voice calling to us, as I stumbled my way over to him.

"Don't let them escape!" A random shout came from behind, and I heard Suikotsu fighting off the pawns now. I surprised as I heard him fall, and felt Jakotsu jerk me behind him. "Watch it! They'll catch you!" He barked at me. "Where is Banryuu anyways?" Come to think of it, it wasn't in my hands. Where _was_ Banryuu? "I don't know I must have dropped it." I heard a groan, and felt myself get pulled close; Jakotsu had his hand wrapped around my wrist. "Well then stay close, you're no good when you don't have your Baby and can't see." He was right too. In the condition I was in, I wasn't much good to the group. I didn't have my baby, and my fists weren't any good to me, when my eyes were giving out. I could still see however, just not well. I could only tell which of my comrades was the other front the marks on their faces.

"Those two, get them!" Orders were raining for out capture, and despite the lack of sight, I still was attempting to fight. I stumbled forward to throw a punch at what I assumed was pawn, however I missed, and felt my arm twisted behind my back. I growled out the pain, clenching my teeth together as I fell to the ground. I thrust the other arm backwards, nailing the soldier and forcing him off. Two…no it was three more of those damned pawns were on me in an instant after I felled the first one, and it was with good reason, as it took that many to keep me down.

Jakotsu was fighting them now, and I knew many were falling from the screams of death and the clanging of the Jakotsu-tou. "Bankotsu!" He screamed towards me, obviously having seen that I had fallen. "Baka! Run away! Don't worry about me." He only glared at me. "I just told you to do the same thing you asshole and you didn't!" During this moment of distraction is when they got him. "Jakotsu!" I shouted hearing him struggle. "Quiet Brat! Don't worry about him. You should be more worried about yourself!" One of the random soldiers had spat at me, as he stepped down on the wound in my left leg for my insolence. I screamed, that's right I screamed – I screamed like a child—as the pain increased. He pressed harder—I got louder. I could feel him grin as he looked down at me. "What's the matter Brat! Can't handle the pain?" With that remark, I noted him to remind myself later to kill him nice and slow. I fought back, I struggled, tried to free myself, but it was only met with failure. The man applied his entire weight to my leg, and instead of screaming I backed out.


	3. Humor of the Situation

Shichinin-tai, the Meaning within

Jen "the stampede" Motou

Chapter 3: The Humor of the Situation

(Jakotsu's POV)

I was waiting to hear a scream, a whimper, …but nothing. I looked over to where they had pinned down Bankotsu-sama, and saw that he wasn't fighting them any longer. In fact I was quite startled when I heard…. "Alright, let's go, We got them." And watched one, just merely one of the men pick Bankotsu up and carry him. He wasn't even awake, those bastards must have caused him enough pain to pass out, and for that they will pay with their lives. As the Man carrying our leader approached, each one of us was brought to our feet forcefully. Genkotsu and Suikotsu were fighting the most. I tried to struggle but with my shoulder it proved difficult. "You won't get away with this, you will all pay with your lives." I growled at them, and I heard the man shoving me laugh. "Sure Sure whatever you say, _lady_." He mocked as he shoved me on a wagon with the rest of what remained of us.

The last one thrown aboard was Bankotsu. I'm sure that would have happened differently if he were awake. The man carelessly walked to the edge of the wagon and tossed him aboard, as if he were throwing a bag of rice. I managed to pull him close, so he at least wasn't displaced there on the floor. I rested Bankotsu-sama's head on my lap, and growled as I saw the pain the adorned his youthful features. However the atmosphere quickly changed as I heard the rest of the Band laughing. We peered through the bars of our cage, and watched the soldiers gathering up our confiscated weaponry. They had managed -somehow- to get Genkotsu's armament into the second wagon. My Jakotsu-tou was carelessly tossed amongst the things, as was Mukotsu's poisons, and Renkotsu's flame. Suikotsu's claws were tossed in with ease as well.

However as for the remaining weapon we all laughed, and teased and taunted, as we watched struggle with none other than Bankotsu's baby—Banryuu. One man reached down for the handle, and attempted to lift it one handed from the ground. When he leaned backwards we all heard a loud crack admit for his back and we laughed. The idiot was attempting it one handed. "Weaklings shouldn't play with a Man's toy!" Suikotsu mocked, causing the group to laugh again. However the soldiers only glared at us. The man tried again, both hands this time. His back admitted a louder crack this time, and he threw out a scream of pain when he fell to his knees. "Having trouble? Maybe you should have a _MAN_ try!" Genkotsu was the one up for mocking this time. Yet again, we just received glares. A larger man approached this time, shoving the other out of the way. "Out of the way, our lord commands we take them now, so we don't have time for your games." He spat and we all snickered when he fell flat on his ass trying to lift Banryuu from its position. He growled and the spat at us, silencing our laughing for the moment. "Quiet all of you! Which one of you rats is the owner of this monstrosity? Which of you wields this weapon? You!" His eyes shifted to Genkotsu who only laughed. "It's not mine!" His eyes shifted to Suikotsu, who in turn laughed as well. "Yeah right! I can't lift that thing!" He growled at us and shouted. "Then who? Which of you wields this sword!" I forced the sleeping Bankotsu to wave his hand by moving his right wrist back and forth. The man's glare intensified, as his eyes shifted downward to Bankotsu-sama. "This is not time to be trying my patience, if you all cooperation, it just might prolong your lives. That brat cannot wield this, send the weapon's owner."   
With that our laughter became a roar. We couldn't hold ourselves back, they acquired our help to kill us, and when we honestly told him the weapon's owner he spat us—what kind of irony was that? In the end it took three of them—three of their strongest men to lift Banryuu. This still resulted in glares as we laughed at their weakness. However we all fell silent as the wheels turned and we were on our way to god knows what.


	4. Leader

Shininchi-tai: The Meaning within

Jen "the stampede" Motou

Chapter 4: Leader

(Suikotsu's POV)

We had been riding along in the cage the pawns had thrown us and I was noting every one of them to keep them separate in my mind. Each and every one of them would receive their own special taste of death. Mukotsu was pushed to the back corner, behind Genkotsu. Renkotsu was close to Genkotsu cursing about all the repairs we would have to make now. While in front of me sat Jakotsu would was so caringly stroking his hand through our young leader's bangs, while he still lay unconscious. Not one of knew what was going to happen now, at that's the air you could easily feel from the looks in our eyes. We were all confused, annoyed, and aching to draw blood. Of all the things we were, the only I can think to say we weren't, was scared. Not one of us was scared to die, we would all give our lives for our young leader….well I at least can say I would.

The wheels pulled to a stop and we were in front of a large estate…a familiar estate. I do believe it was the same estate of out last employer. I could feel my blood boil from the realization. We had been sold out. No, it wasn't Bankotsu's fault. Granted he was the one who handled all employment, but as our leader that was his job right? How could he have known that this would happen? He couldn't and he didn't. No matter what happened to us now, I wouldn't blame him. They unloaded our arsenal first, however not one of us laughed this time, when they struggled with Banryuu. We weren't about to sign the documents of our deaths. The door to our portable prison creaked open, as the metal scrapped together. "Come on!" A random pawn snapped at us, and stepped inside. He leaned over and reached for Bankotsu. "Don't touch him!" Jakotsu snapped, and pulled Bankotsu close.

"Wench!" The man screamed, and back handed Jakotsu. He then reached down and grabbed Bankotsu by his raven plait, pulled towards him. Bankotsu still didn't awaken, even as the man forcefully tied his small wrists behind his back. "Catch, this one's out cold." He laughed, tossing Bankotsu carelessly to a man behind him. He caught our leader and looked down at him quite confused. "A whelp like this part of the Shichinin-tai? He's still learning to walk, let alone be considered a man." He shrugged, and then threw his nearly lifeless body over his shoulder. "Come on now, out with the rest of you." He ordered, and each of us, were shoved out one at a time, our wrists forced behind our backs and bound as we did. Never once had I felt so powerful, well not in year that is. They would pay for this; they all would pay for this. No one would do this to the Shichinin-tai and get away with it.

We were lead to the lower part of the grand estate and tossed like garbage in a back room of the cellar. –A Prison- How quaint it was that something like this would be here. It was dark and most. The air was rank and it was vile to breathe. "If Genkotsu rusts I swear I will kill them…I'm going to anyways but it will be slower otherwise." Renkotsu cursed as he placed himself in back corner of our cell. "Calm down Renkotsu, we're all going to have the pleasure of ripping their throats out." Jakotsu was trying to calm him and it seemed to no avail until we heard voices near us. We all fell silent and Jakotsu pulled Bankotsu close, as the cellar door creaked open.

A few soldiers, one looking like the leader of the group walked closer and grinned at us. "Not so frightening now are you? Well not to long, you'll be gone. Our lords are currently deciding who gets the honor of going first and it will most likely be your precious leader. So enjoy what time you have left." He just laughed as he and his comrades turned away, and I lunged at him through the metal bars. "Bastard! You won't get away with this!" I shouted, being shoved backwards falling on top of my fellow Shichinin-tai. "Suikotsu…calm down we'll get them. Every last one." Jakostu glared as we watched the men leave the room.


End file.
